


Friends and Healing

by Jredbaron96



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: F/M, Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-12
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-05 22:35:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14628447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jredbaron96/pseuds/Jredbaron96
Summary: I noticed there was no Caboose x Emily Grey works on this website, so I made one. Short fluffy one shot.





	Friends and Healing

To his annoyance, the scent of burning fuel and tires was becoming increasingly familiar to Agent Washington. It would be one thing if this were just a once in a blue moon occurrence that he would have to stomach the rancid smell of rubber and diesel alongside plumes of ugly black smoke, but now it seemed like every week he was forcing his helmet’s air filters to work above their normal capacity.

But even more annoying than the stench was the cascade of voices all explaining how it wasn’t their fault.

“Ya see, this tree like, appeared out of nowhere, and I-”

“Grif was too busy stuffing a twinkie into his mouth to pay attention to the road, so I-”

“Then Simmons grabbed hold of the wheel, but Grif’s belly wasn’t letting it spin, and so I reached over-”

“And then Tucker fell face forward because of the bumps in the road, and so I leaned forward to grab him and make sure that he didn’t fall off, and-”

“And then Donut wrapped his arms around Tucker’s waist fer some reason or a’nuther, and I grabbed ma shotgun to make see if I could take out Grif with a-”

“ENOUGH!” Wash finally yelled, loud enough that the assembled simulation troopers in front of him fell silent. Wash took a moment to breathe in deeply, and close his eyes so he couldn’t see the burning metal wreckage a few meters from the group. “I don’t understand,” He began slowly, “Why is that even though you all have been driving these cars for years now, you still somehow manage to crash them in such convoluted manners. I mean really, how on earth did you manage to fuck this up this badly?”

“Jeez Wash, you’ve been with us for how many years, and you’re still surprised at how badly we fuck up?” Grif scoffed. “Sometimes I think you don’t pay attention dude.”

“You’re one to talk!” Simmons interjected. “If you didn’t stuff your face full of snacks every time we drove, we wouldn’t crash so much!”

“Jesus Christ.” Wash said, smacking head against his helmet. “Look, I really don’t give a shit about why you crashed. I’m just tired of constantly having to tell Kimball that we keep crashing the New Republic’s very limited number of armored vehicles. She’s starting to get a little pissed about it.”  
“Maybe if they made their vehicles little stronger, they wouldn’t explode so much!” Sarge pointed out. “I’ve been telling ‘em they need to add at least 2 more feet of steel plate armor on these things, and maybe a bigger gun! I’ve got schematics back at base somewhere for a new design, and I really thing that-”

“Sarge!” Wash interrupted. “I’m sure the New Republic would be...excited to see your new designs, but right now we just need to gather up what we can salvage and try to complete this convoy.”

“We’ll probably need Caboose to help lift some of the heavier stuff.” Tucker pointed out. “We were carrying a lot of heavy machinery for the settlements on the coast.”

“Speaking of Caboose, where is he?” Donut asked to no one in particular.

The resulting exclamation came out in unison from all assembled Reds and Blues. “Caboose!”

\---------------------------------

General Doyle General Hospital had rapidly become the main medical center on Chorus. It helped that nearly every other hospital on the planet had either been destroyed or abandoned during the civil war, but the people of Chorus had been determined to reassert the proper benefits of a functioning society, including healthcare.

There were of course problems; most of Chorus’s population of doctors were little more than battlefield medics. While capable of treating a number of wartime injuries like shrapnel or bullet wounds, it left Chorus desperately short of of actual doctors capable of performing surgery and complex operations. So even as the chief medical officer in the hospital, Doctor Emily Grey frequently found herself being called upon to routine procedures and checkups.

If it bothered the eccentric Doctor, Grey didn’t show it; in fact she took to her tasking with a dedication and eagerness some patients went so far as to say was unsettling, specifically how often she offered to replace normal limbs with robotic counterparts, even if the patient was just complaining of the flu. It was normal for Doctor Grey to go through a dozen patients in just a day. There were still a lot of people on Chorus in need of healing, even if the fighting had stopped. And so anyone who went to General Doyle General Hospital had a good chance of being treated by Doctor Grey herself; whether they wanted to or not.

“Stop squirming so much!” 

“I wouldn’t be if you would just put down that scalpel.” 

“It’s an important part of this procedure!”

“All I want is to make sure my leg is fully healed!”

Doctor Grey sighed, and reluctantly placed down the oversized scalpel she had been holding. She stood up fully so she could meet Agent Carolina’s eyes. “Fine, I won’t perform any exploratory incisions.” She folded her arms in protest. “Though I won’t be able to tell you exactly how well your muscle tissue is holding up.”

“Believe me,” the red headed former Freelancer said, “I’ll survive.” 

Doctor Grey threw up her arms. “Well if you’re 100% positive you don’t want a robotic arm-”

“I am, thank you.” Carolina said firmly. 

“-Then I guess you’re good to go. Your leg is fully healed and all your other vitals check out just fine.”

Carolina softened her expression as she started to reassemble her armor. “Thanks Doctor Grey.”

“Anything for Chorus’s heroes, Agent Carolina.” Grey said with a smile. “If you need anything else, you know where my office is.” 

Carolina finished sliding on the last bits of her armor, and was ready to reach for her helmet when a voice came over the intercom. “Paging Doctor Gray, Doctor Gray please respond.” 

Carolina cast a glance at Grey as the former Federal Army doctor walked over to the wall and touched a button on the microphone that was built into the room. “Doctor Grey here!” She said cheerfully. “What can I do for ya?”

“We have a priority patient coming in.” The voice came through on the other end. “It’s Caboose.”

Carolina’s eyes widened.

\------------------------------------

‘I don’t understand; how can you cause a six car pile up when they were only driving three cars?!”

“Somehow, they found a way.”

Doctor Grey sighed and let her shoulders droop. “Is anyone else hurt?”

“A few cuts and scrapes but nothing serious.” Carolina explained, trying to ignore the fact that Grey seemed a little disappointed by that answer. “Caboose got banged up the most. Wash said it’s not life threatening, but given how much abuse Caboose has already endured…”

As if on cue, the door to the examination room opened up, allowed two more armored soldiers to enter, one clad in grey with yellow tinges, the other in regulation blue. Agent Washington, the former Freelancer, also known as Recovery One, gently tugged on the hand he was holding and guided Caboose into the room. “Easy Caboose, just put one foot forward.”

Michael J. Caboose, the vehicle destroyer, put his right foot back behind his left one. Wash sighed. “The other one, Caboose.” With a little more guidance, Wash successfully maneuvered Caboose inside and towards the examination room. 

Using the most gentle voice she could muster, Carolina spoke. “Caboose, how are you feeling?”

The blue soldier’s response was oddly muffled, even despite his helmet. “Hello Agent Carolina! I’m doing fine, but this drink doesn’t taste very good. I prefer my morning orange juice.”

Carolina raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Drink? Caboose, what do you-”

Before she could finish, Wash leaned forward to remove Caboose’s helmet. It was almost a comical scene; Agent Washington was many things, but tall was not one of them. By comparison Caboose, the tallest of the Reds and Blues, towered overhead. Wash was forced to stand on his tip toes before he finally managed to secure his hands over Caboose’s helmet and lifted it off his head. Carolina winced as she saw the extent of his injuries.

A gash over Caboose’s left eye was bleeding profusely, pouring blood over the left side of his face. A busted lip provide another blood flow down his chin and began dripping onto the floor. Caboose seemed to take notice of the blood spilling onto the floor and widened his eyes. “Oh my gosh Agent Washington: I’m a tomato!”

It would’ve made Wash laugh on most occasions, but even he was a bit too concerned with Caboose’s well being to take light of the situation. “No Caboose, you’re not a tomato, you’ve been wounded. How are you feeling?”

“Oh I’m doing fine Agent Washington. I was on a road trip and was having lots of fun and then we hit a tree and then some other stuff and now those lights are really bright and my head feels funny but I’m okay.” Caboose seemed otherwise oblivious to his injuries, but Wash couldn’t help but notice Caboose’s skin seemed paler than normally, and his usually cheerful demeanor seemed a bit subdued, and his words came out slower.

“Right. Caboose, you remember Doctor Grey, right?”

“Of course! She’s the friendly but intelligent doctor who really likes old alien stuff!” 

“Yeah, actually, that’s right.” Wash said, pleased to see that Caboose’s already limited mental faculties were still working.

“She also violently tortured a space pirate once using surgical equipment!”

“Well, yes.” Wash admitted. “Anyway, she’s going to take care of you. I’m going to be just outside with Carolina. We’ll see you when the Doctor is done, okay?”

Caboose smiled what was surely supposed to be a friendly grin, but the blood running through his lips and teeth made the gesture seem far more disturbing than earnest. 

\--------------------------------------

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow.”

“Alright, all done!” 

Doctor Grey stood back, clapping her hands together. She placed her sowing kit back into it’s appropriate bin before admiring her handiwork. “I gotta give you credit Caboose, most people complain a lot more when I don’t use anesthetic for stitches.”

“Oh that’s okay Doctor, I don’t like when people use atheists for surgery on me.”

“No Caboose, not atheists, anesthetic- oh never mind. Now, I just need to make sure you have no other serious bodily injuries. Can you remove your torso armor for me Caboose?”

“Oh erhm, yes, I can do that.” Caboose said as he stood up from the examination table, uncertainty evident in his voice as his eyes fell and he began studying his own armor. It took a few minutes before Doctor Grey finally asked “Caboose, do you know how to remove your own armor?”

“Wash and Tucker usually help me.” Caboose admitted somewhat sheepishly. 

“It’s okay Caboose, I can give you a hand.”

Emily Grey stepped forward, and was once again confronted with the fact that Caboose was a much larger person than she was. The Blue behemoth easily towered over her, and she soon found herself level with his chest piece. “Um, okay Caboose, I need you to lift up your arms.”

Caboose did as instructed, allowing Grey to reach and unhook the straps keeping his abdominal plates together with his principle chest compartment. Grey always knew Caboose was a big person, but standing next to him she suddenly recalled that Agent Washington and Carolina had once used Caboose’s arms as pull up bars when they couldn’t find a suitable alternative. 

She undid another piece of Caboose’s armor and his main chest piece came off, followed by his shoulder pads, and his sleeves. Caboose stood before Doctor Grey naked from the waist up, a blank expression of his face. When Grey had been told that Caboose was built like an ox, she hadn’t realized they were being so literal; the blue soldier’s solid chest, broad shoulders, and large biceps made him seem more like a silverback gorilla than a human being. 

“Doctor?” Caboose’s inquisitive tone snapped Grey from her momentary distraction. 

“Right, uh, Caboose I need to feel along your rib cage to make sure you don’t have any cracked or bruised ribs. I would just normally send you through an x-ray machine, but ours is down. So I’m going to touch your chest and you tell me where it hurts.”

“Okay.” Came the simple reply.

Grey lifted her hand to place on Caboose’s chest, prodding until she located his sternum, then began moving downward. “Feel any pain in your chest?”

“Yes.”

Doctor Grey raised her eyebrows. She hadn’t noticed any bruises indicate of some kind of trauma or blunt force impact on his chest. “Where at, Caboose?”

To her surprise, the blue soldier took her hand with his hand and guided it to his left pectoral. “Here.”

Grey’s eyebrows furrowed. “Your pec hurts, Caboose?”

“My heart.” The tone and volume made it clear Caboose was seriously depressed by it.

“Why does your heart hurt?”

“Church. He’s gone again.”

“Oh, right.” Grey said. “That’s not really my area of expertise so I can’t-” She stopped herself mid sentence. “You miss him, don’t you?”

Caboose nodded slowly. “He was my best friend.”

“So I’ve heard.” Grey responded. She wasn’t entirely sure that Epsilon would agree, but it was clear from his expression that Caboose was deeply saddened by the loss of his friend and comrade. “I’m sorry, but I can’t really heal that Caboose.”

“What can?” Caboose’s question was blunt and simple, which was par the course for his level of intellect, but Doctor Grey couldn’t help but feel the sentiment behind the question was far more meaningful that most people would give Caboose credit for.

“Time.” Emily Grey said honestly. “Having someone there for you.”

“Like who?” 

“Ya know, another friend.”

“Like Agent Washington?” 

Doctor Grey smiled gently. “Yes Caboose, like Agent Washington.”

Trying to return to her medical duties, she said “Now Caboose, I need to you lean over so I can see if the top of your head is okay.”

Caboose obliged, but only tipped his head forward slightly. “Um, Caboose, I need you to go a little lower than that.”

“But I don’t want to tip over.”

“You won’t, I’ll catch yo-” Grey stopped herself to consider whether she actually could. Before she could suggest Caboose sit back down on the table, the blue soldier excitedly announced “I have a better idea!”

Without warning, Caboose wrapped his muscular arms around Grey’s waist and lifted her up, so much so she could see over Caboose’s head. “Oh dear!” Was all she could muster before she found herself hoisted in the arm, body firmly pressed against Caboose.

“Is this better?” Came Caboose’s voice, muffled against her torso.

“Um, yes Caboose, this is...fine.” She said. Somewhat slowly she reached forward to run her hands over Caboose’s head, parting his short cropped blonde to ensure there were no scars or bruises atop his cranium. After a few minutes she said somewhat awkwardly “You can put me down now Caboose.” to which he obliged.

“Wow, you really are strong.” She said as her feet returned to the ground. 

“Church and Tucker said it was God’s gift or something.” Caboose said happily.

“Right. Um…” Her voice trailed off for a second, before a warm feeling settled in her stomach. “Hey Caboose, I uh, actually need to check your shoulders too.”

Without hesitation Caboose wrapped his arms around her again, and raised her up so she could peer over his shoulders while pressed against his body. A feeling of comfort, of being nestled in Caboose’s surprisingly muscular frame, crept over her, so much so that she wrapped her legs around him while she finished her examination. 

“Doctor?”

“Yes Caboose?” 

“You said a friend would help me feel better about Church, right?”

“Yes Caboose, a friend can help you get through how you’re feeling.”

“I see. Can you be that friend?”

“Of course Caboose.”

“Great!” Caboose said with his normal level of enthusiasm, and squeezed her a little tighter. Doctor Emily Grey was perfectly fine with that.


End file.
